Fed lost $5.25B on Bear Stearns, AIG holdings in Q1

ByABC News
June 10, 2009, 1:36 PM

WASHINGTON -- The Federal Reserve lost $5.25 billion in the first quarter on the securities it acquired with last year's bailouts of Bear Stearns and insurer American International Group, according to a report Wednesday.

The loss on the holdings, which include mortgage-backed securities, reflected a decline in their value as the recession carried over into the first three months of this year. The cumulative loss on the Bear and AIG holdings comes to $16.46 billion since they were taken over last year.

The Fed is hoping that if it holds onto the securities long enough, they will eventually rise in value once the economy gets healthy again, the housing market heals and the financial and credit crises are past.

The Fed's new report, which will be issued monthly, comes as lawmakers have demanded more information about the bailouts, and other programs intended to spur lending and stabilize the banking system.

The monthly report provides some details beyond the Fed's weekly snapshot of loan and debt-buying programs on its balance sheet. Those details include collateral pledged by borrowers, ratings on collateral, and the number of borrowers for some programs.

However, the Fed did not budge on lawmakers' requests that it identify borrowers for emergency and other loans. Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke has repeatedly argued that doing so would risk a run on a bank or other financial institution, undermining the purpose of the program.

As lender of last resort, the Fed's programs are intended to bolster the financial system, a key ingredient to lifting the country out of recession.

The monthly report showed that the Fed's commercial paper program reported net income of $2.14 billion in the first quarter. Commercial paper is the crucial short-term loans that companies use to pay everyday expenses. The Fed began buying commercial paper last year when that market virtually came to a halt after credit problems intensified last fall.

It also reported net earnings of $1.2 billion in the first quarter on other loan programs, including emergency borrowing to banks and investment firms. The Fed reported $4.57 billion in earnings under its regular transactions involving Treasury securities.